What do you do if you want to demonstrate your strategic thinking skills while transitioning careers?

One thing I found extremely helpful when talking with potential employers has been to think and reflect on processes you’ve mastered and soft skills you’ve used in a current or past role. In fact, one job offer came as the result of not necessarily having 100% of the technical skills (Accounting) but a number of soft skills (critical thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, communication, etc) that indicated an ability to succeed and grow within the company regardless of the role. While technical skills can be taught, soft skills are highly regarded and not as easy to find.

To highlight strategic prowess while transitioning careers: - Identify strategic contributions and transferable skills - Quantify your achievements - Showcase your strategic thinking prowess - Demonstrate research and industry insights - Share your industry expertise - Network strategically - Seek mentorship - Tailor your resume and cover letter to showcase your strategic prowess - Utilize online platforms like LinkedIn to share strategic insights relevant to your target industry Hope this helps!

Start by reflecting deeply on your past experiences. Identify instances where you successfully employed strategic thinking to overcome challenges or achieve goals. Craft narratives around these experiences, highlighting your ability to analyze situations, anticipate outcomes, and devise effective plans. Tailor these stories to align with the objectives of the industry or role you're targeting. Leverage your LinkedIn profile, resume, and interviews to communicate these insights, demonstrating your adaptability and forward-thinking mindset. Engaging in discussions about industry trends and contributing thoughtful perspectives on professional forums can further illustrate your strategic acumen to potential employers.

It's about articulating not just current/future goals but also past goals by explaining precisely how one or several applicable strategies in a previous role achieved that goal, which then ultimately lead to the next strategic opportunity. It's about bridging the knowledge and experiences and how these would apply in a strategic undertaking one is pitching themselves for at the moment. It's great to make one's goals clear, but it's as much about articulating why precisely these matter in the long run and will be of benefit to the enterprise.

Based on my personal experience, Having a small coffee chat with an individual who is working in the role you're targeting will help you immensely in your career transition. Search for individuals in your network and simply reach out to them to arrange a coffee chat. You'd be surprised to see the support you'd get. These informal chats will not only give you insights on your target role's day-to-day responsibilities, challenges, and associated rewards but will also give you a chance to evaluate if your target role matches your career priorities. Remember: The grass is greener on the other side!

?? Leverage Your Network: Engage with your professional network to transition careers strategically. Reach out to contacts for insights into your target industry or role. ?? Seek Information and Advice: Networking is more than job hunting. Gather information and advice to inform your career strategy. ?? Utilize Strategic Relationships: Display your ability to seek and use strategic relationships by having informed conversations with your network.

”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.” This quote by Aristotle helps put things into perspective when talking about continuous learning. Learning continuously enables career transitions. As a business professional, I make it a point to map the value chain of any product or service that I come across. Understanding how a business makes money, what are its key offerings, what are the problems it addresses for its target market, and what are the challenges it faces while scaling makes the journey of continuous learning even more exciting. Trying to unearth second order learning from such exercises makes it a rewarding experience while equipping oneself for a better and more fulfilling career.

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate your strategic thinking skills in a new context. 1. Thoroughly research and understand the industry you are transitioning to. You can read articles, posts, and various publications from reputable sources. 2. Take advantage of opportunities for your professional development in the new industry through industry-specific programs, training workshops, relevant certifications, online courses, etc. *Showcase the new knowledge you learn by publishing your own posts and engaging with others in the new industry.

?? Embrace Challenges: Approach career transition challenges as opportunities to apply strategic thinking. Break obstacles into manageable parts and develop an action plan. ?? Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Showcase your problem-solving process during interviews or networking. Illustrate your strategic approach to overcoming hurdles and achieving objectives. ?? Highlight Strategic Thinking: Use challenges as a platform to highlight your strategic thinking skills. Show how you tackle problems methodically and achieve desired outcomes.

While each of the suggestions above has value, none of them are as powerful or persuasive to potential employers as a tangible demonstration of your skills. Join SCORE and serve as a volunteer mentor to small business owners. If you're a member of a business or trade association, look for opportunities to lead workshops or participate in panel discussions on key topics in your industry. Not only will the interviewer understand that you have current, relevant abilities, but you have the energy and initiative to leverage them outside the workplace.